Moscow's Diplomatic Duel in Europe

Since the British electorate voted to leave the European Union, divisions within the bloc have deepened and spread. Northern and Southern European countries disagree more than ever on fiscal issues, such as austerity measures, while countries in Central and Eastern Europe have called for power to be restored to their national parliaments. EU members are likewise split over the future of the bloc's sanctions against Russia, which are designed to expire automatically on a specified date unless the bloc votes unanimously to extend or increase them. From the outset, the sanctions -- in place since early 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and began to support separatists in eastern Ukraine -- have been the subject of heavy debate and scrutiny among EU members. And unlike the U.S. government, which takes a hawkish stance on using its own sanctions to influence the Kremlin, EU members have diverged in their views on...